the paintings by Rembrandt, van Eyck and Raphael

A MONOGRAPH BY

Mr. JOHN ANDERSON, jR.

THESE PAINTINGS

TOGETHER WITH THE OTHERS OF

MR. ANDERSON'S COLLECTION

WILL BE SOLD AT THE HOTEL PLAZA

ON THURSDAY EVENING, APRIL 6th, 1916

UNDER THE MANAGEMENT OF

THE AMERICAN ART ASSOCIATION AMERICAN ART GALLERIES

MADISON SQUARE SOUTH d

NEW YORK CITY

REMBRANDT HARMENSE VAN RUN

1606—1669

THE ENTOMBMENT OF CHRIST

(Panel)

Height, 33i/^ inches; width, 26y^ inches

Signed and dated, Rembrandt, 1661

(No. 62 in the collection of Mr. John Anderson, Jr.)

The subject of the entombment mnst have presented uncom- mon possibilities to Rembrandt's vision, for he depicted it many times in drawings, etchings and paintings, covering a perod of thirty years.

Of known representations, the generally accepted one has been that painted to the order of Prince Frederick Henry, Stadhouder of Holland, which was begun in 1632 or 1633, and finished in 1639. It is now in the Alteren Pinakothek, Munich, but in poor condition. Copies made from it by his pupils are in the Dresden and Brunswick galleries. Reproductions are usually made from the Dresden copy which was touched up in parts by Rembrandt himself.

Rembrandt's painting of the Entombment (Munich Pina- kothek) has never given a large measure of satisfaction to those who have so freely recognized and paid tribute to his genius. One of the ablest of his biographers, M. Emile Michel, while admitting that "the conception of the Entombment lacks neither grandeur nor eloquence," criticises "its complexity, ugliness, and faults of taste."

He specifies, in particular, "the meagre and puny figure of the Christ, the repulsive ugliness of several among the by- standers, the multiplicity of episodes, and the complexity arising from the use of such various sources of light as the re- flection of the setting sun ; the torch which Nicodemus shades with his hand, and the lantern to the right." These same de- fects have been apparent to many others beside Michel.

Was Rembrandt a less severe critic of his own work than they.'' Was he willing to have that painting accepted as rep- resenting his ablest accomplishment, on a subject so great in possibilities.''

In 1656, nearly twenty years after he had painted the

Entombment for Prince Frederick Henry, Rembrandt was declared a bankrupt, and, later, his personal effects were sold at public auction. Among the items in the inventory appears the following: "A sketch of the burial of Christ, by Rem- brandt."

The Stockholm Museum is the possessor of a pen draw- ing of the Entombment of Christ by Rembrandt, which was formerly in the famous Crozat collection. M. Michel refers to it as follows : "The arrangement is much simpler here, but the sketch has the same upright form as the earlier work, and Rembrandt, no doubt, intended to paint it in this shape, for the proposed dimensions of his picture are in his hand- writing on the margin."

A study of the different types of the head of Christ made by Rembrandt, if taken in chronological order, will show that he used, virtually, the same type from the beginning of his career until the years 1658-1659. He then changed the type completely, and painted four or five different heads of Christ, very similar to each other, but all of them bearing little or no resemblance to those formerly used. Two of these paint- ings are now in America, one in the collection of John G. Johnson, Esq., of Philadelphia, and the other (from the Mo- ritz Kann Collection) is now owned by Isaac Dudley Fletcher, Esq., of New York.

Among the lost paintings by Rembrandt, known only by the engravings made from them. Dr. Bode, in his great work on Rembrandt (Vol. 8), includes the portrait of "Zeno, the Philosopher," engraved after the original by Rembrandt by Bernard Picart, and published by him in 1699. Dr. Bode states: "It seems to have been made from an original study of a head painted by Rembrandt about 1656-1658."

The engraving had passed unchallenged for over two hun- dred years as "Zeno," but Dr. Bode was brave enough to ex- press his doubts as to its identity. He says : "The so-called Zeno looks like a study for a suffering Christ." While not al- together correct in his surmise. Dr. Bode was not far from the truth. It is the head of the dead Christ, and represents the type of 1658-1659.

* ♦ * * *

The whereabouts and doings of Rembrandt in the years 1661 and 1662 have been a subject of controversy. This is due to the discovery of data in the manuscript diaries of

George Vertue, in the British Museum (1713), showing that Rembrandt visited England during portions of the years 1661 and 1662, and lived at Hull, in Yorkshire. His stay is said to have embraced a period of not less than sixteen months, and a portrait painted by him at York, signed, and dated that year, was claimed to have been in the possession of Michael Dahl, the artist.

Dr. Bode states, in confirmation of this, that no mention of Rembrandt can be found in any extant documents in the Amsterdam archives during 1661 and up to August 28th, 1662, and that only one picture by him is known as having been painted in 1662.

A number of his paintings bear the date of 1661, and they include the "Syndics of the Cloth Hall," considered as one of his masterpieces.

Influenced, doubtless, by the discoveries in Vertue's diaries, M. Michel writes : "It is in England that we may hope to find some of the lost works of the master, as well as some which have never been recognized."

It has now been shown that Rembrandt's painting of the Entombment in the Munich Pinakothek has been criticised as being unworthy of so great a master on so great a subject; that Rembrandt, many years later, contemplated making an- other painting of it; that in 1658-1659 he brought into ex- istence a new type of the head of Christ, and that the claim has been made that he lived for over a year in Yorkshire,

England.

* * m iif *

The painting of the Entombment of Christ, now offered, is believed to be one of the lost Rembrandts, and the Master's final efi'ort on that subject. It was purchased between forty and fifty years ago, at a public sale of a private collection, by Robert Ranshaw, Esq., of Louth, Lincolnshire, England; sold by him in 1890 to his brother-in-law, the late George Wrangham, Esq., of SheflSeld, Yorkshire; retained by his widow, Mrs. Maria Wrangham, until her death, when it was purchased by its present owner, through Thomas Smith, Esq., of Shefl5eld. So far as is known, the painting has always been in Yorkshire and vicinity.

^ 'F V V ^(&

The faults which proved so apparent in the Munich ex- ample are not to be found in this. No room now for criti-

cism as to the "complexity of light effects." No "meagre and puny figure of the Christ" now, but one that is regal, easily dominating the entire scene.

The scheme and scene remain unchanged, but the treatment is different and altogether satisfying. At fifty-five years of age, Rembrandt could and did paint a far better Entombment than at twenty-seven.

Ik MH * * *

What objections are likely to be urged against its ac- ceptance as an authentic example of Rembrandt's work, and as being his final representation of the Entombment.'' We will discuss them in order :

1. It is not recorded in Dr. Bode's work, or elsewhere. The picture had been for nearly half a century in the private collection of a single family, with no knowledge of Dr. Bode or his work, and no object in making known to the public their possession of it.

2. It lacks a prolonged pedigree. Barring the examples of Rembrandt's work in the European galleries, which were purchased from the descendants of original owners, or at early public sales, the average pedigree of Rembrandt's paint- ings does not extend beyond one hundred years. The justly famous Altman collection of his woi'ks averages even less.

3. It was painted hy one of Rembrandt's pupils or imi- tators. Which one.'' There were many, the most gifted among them being Ferdinand Bol, Govaert Flinck, Gerard Dou, Gerbrandt van den Eeckhout, Nicolas Maes, Aart de Gelder and Jan Victors. Good painters, all, but which of them can be singled out as possessing the genius and skill nec- essary to equal Rembrandt in work on one of his chosen sub- jects, often depicted by him, but never previously attempted by any one of them.''

For good reasons, all but two of them can be quickly dis- missed from consideration, Govaert Flinck and Gerbrandt van den Eeckhout.

Flinck was Rembrandt's pupil only until 1637; painted only large portraits and historical subjects in his later years, and no example of his work is known bearing a later date than 1655. He died in February, 1660, before this picture of the Entombment was painted. When Rembrandt adopted his new type of the head of Christ, Flinck had already ceased painting.

Van den Eeckhout imitated Rembrandt's style closely and skilfully — but that is all that can be said for him. His pic- tures are in the Museums at Amsterdam and The Hague, in the National Gallery, London, and one is in our own Metro- politan Museum of Art. Another example was recently sold in the Lambert Collection. In all of them the lack of a mas- ter-hand is apparent. At his best, he was greatly inferior to Rembrandt.

His last picture was painted before the death of Rem- brandt. If, therefore, he painted this Entombment, we are forced to the belief that, while the master was still alive and active, one of his pupils painted a distinctive and well-known Rembrandt subject, using the same scheme of composition, and produced results fully equal to those attained by Rem- brandt himself.

A careful study of the work of these two artists, as shown in the foreign and American galleries, fails to reveal the slightest grounds for believing that either of them painted, or was capable of painting, the picture of the Entombment now offered.

4. It has too fine a finish for a Rembrandt. In the Lon- don exhibition of 1890 there appeared a male portrait by Rembrandt, dated this same year, 1661, belonging to Lord Ashburton. While accepted as a genuine example by Rem- brandt, it was questioned by a critic as having been painted in 1661 because of "its elaborate finish and sparing impasto." Mr. Fletcher's example of Rembrandt's head of Christ (1659) has the same fine finish as this Entombment of 1661.

Some people seem to cherish the belief that Rembrandt painted all his pictures alike, as regards finish and impasto. A study of the large collection in the Kaiser Friedrich Mu- seum in Berlin and those in Holland would quickly dissipate that belief. He accorded a painting the treatment the sub- ject called for, and an astonishing variety of treatment is, therefore, found in his work. He did not paint a group of small figures as he did a life portrait, and he painted neither of them in the same way at different periods of time. A paint- ing that has been carefully preserved in a single family, from generation to generation, and kept virtually free from restorations for centuries, will, naturally, present an open- ing for critical remarks, on the grounds of its having "too smooth a finish for a Rembrandt !" This example is in un-

commonly fine condition, and doubtless for the reasons above

given.

* * * » «

A study of the types, models and costumes used by Rem- brandt in this painting of the Entombment is interesting. Some of the figures are distinctly Rembrandt's models. The young man holding the right hand of the dead Christ ap- pears in many of the master's paintings, doing service as Daniel, Joseph, an Angel, etc. In company with the man holding Christ's left arm, he also appears in Rembrandt's etching of the same subject, helping to carry the body.

In nearly all of Rembrandt's representations of the Pas- sion, the same model or type appears as Joseph of Arimathea.

The head-covering of the Virgin is identical in color with that worn by her in the "Holy Family," in the Louvre, while the figured cloth garments worn by Joseph and Mary Mag- dalen appear in one of the portraits in the Altman Collec- tion, and in other paintings.

But the incontrovertible argument in favor of the accept- ance of this painting as a genuine work of the great master is based on the fact that the head of Christ is identical with the original, by Rembrandt, which served as a basis for Picart's engraving of "Zeno, the Philosopher," in 1699, answering also to the type of the head of Christ, first used in 1658-1659.

Rembrandt made the head. That is indisputable. How, then, could any one of his pupils or imitators have painted this picture of the Entombment, making use of Rembrandt's head of Christ, which would have remained absolutely un- known if Picart had not engraved it in 1699.'' A rather hard nut to crack !

HUBERT VAN EYCK

Flemish: 1365?— 1426

THE PIETA.

(Central panel of a triptych)

Height, 48 inches; width, 38 inches

(No. 67 in the collection of Mr. John Anderson, Jr.)

Among the unsolved problems in art is that of the work of the brothers Hubert and John van Eyck. On only one point have the authorities agreed, viz., that Hubert designed the famous Ghent polyptych, or Altar-piece, and painted the greater portion of it, while John completed the work, after Hubert's death in 1426. The exact work done by each on the polyptych is still a mooted question, and the same uncertainty exists regarding the paintings made by the brothers during Hubert's lifetime.

This panel was purchased by its former owners about fifty years ago, presumably at Christie's, in London, as their written sale figure of that period — before they adopted the stencil — appears on the back. They treasured it as a van Eyck, but evidently never made any serious attempt to find out which one of the brothers painted it.

The reasons for imputing it to Hubert van Eyck can be stated in few words. They are primarily based on the belief of the writer that Hubert painted all — or virtually all — tlie figures in the polyptych, while John painted the landscapes and accessories (backgrounds and inscriptions). The style, design, composition, impasto, etc., will need to be judged from an examination of the panel itself.

1. The uniform gold background, indicating its early period, before the introduction of landscapes by either of the brothers.

2. The colors are distinctly those of Hubert, as they ap- pear on the polyptych — reds and greens predominating.

3. The portrait of the donor — probably John of Bavaria. Evidently the work of the same person who painted that of Jodocus Vyts.

4. Compare the hands of the Virgin with those of Jodocus Vyts and his Wife, and then contrast them with the hands in

nearly all the acknowledged paintings by his brother John. The treatment of the hands by the two brothers was distinct- ly different.

5. The characters of St. Christopher, Zachariah, and the one in the lower right in this panel (probably Joseph of Ari- mathea) were evidently painted from the same model — and it is generally conceded that the two former were painted by Hubert.

6. The peculiar folds of the drapery about the lower por- tion of Christ's body indicate the work of Hubert, as will be seen by a comparison with the various figures in the polyp- tych.

7. The wide, ill-fitting sleeve of Joseph has its counter- part in those of Zachariah, Micah, and the foremost charac- ter of the Just Judges, in the polyptych, supposed to be a portrait of Hubert by himself. No such sleeve appears in any of John's paintings.

8. From the date of the earliest known portrait (about 1360) to the time of Hubert van Eyck, heads were made in profile only. Hubert is credited with being the first to break away from the profile figure and head, introducing the three- quarters. It will be noticed that every one of the six figures in this panel shows the head in three-quarters. With a few notable exceptions, every figure in the polyptych possesses the same characteristic.

It is a curious fact that in Mr. W. H. James Weale's ex- haustive work on the life and work of the brothers van Eyck (1908), he records no representation of Christ, living or dead, as having been painted by the elder brother, Hubert.

4J& ^It ^ dL ^>L

Since the catalogue description of this panel painting had appeared in printed form, and the above more extended description was completed, a photographic enlargement of a section of the panel has revealed the fact that it bears both signature and date:

1421

IC

D.G.

HVE

*****

From the collection of the late Lord and Lady Abinger, Corn- wall Terrace, London, and Brighton, England.

RAFFAELLO SANZIO (Attributed)

Italian: 1483—1620

"ECCE HOMO "

Height, 24i/^ inches; width, 19j^ inches

(No. 56 in the collection of Mr. John Anderson, Jr.)

Almost every phase and event of Christ's character and life were pictured by the early masters, Raphael among the rest. He painted the Annunciation, the Adoration, the Nativity, the Infancy, "Pax Vobis," The Transfiguration, Bearing the Cross, The Crucifixion, The Pieta, The Entombment and the Resurrection. Was he likely to have omitted "Ecce Homo".''

About twenty paintings known to have been made by Raphael are recorded by his various biographers as lost. It is reasonable to suppose that a number have been lost that are not recorded.

The facts and assumptions from those facts, which fol- low, may throw light on the problem as to whether a correct or incorrect attribution has been made of this painting.

It has an old inscription on the back, reading as follows: "Raphael Xantius. Ecce Homo. Originally painted on panel, and recently transported on (transferred to) canvas in Paris."

On the sleeve, over the left wrist, appears a signature,

■ XII, Raffalo 1509 (or 1519). It bears every evidence of

being as old as the picture itself, and is deeply imbedded in the paint.

Few of Raphael's paintings bear his signature, and those few appear in unexpected forms and strange places : In the "Fornarina," on the arm; in the Marriage of the Virgin, on the temple in the background; in St. George and the Dragon, on the trappings of the horse, etc.

The left side of the garment and the lower portion of the picture show signs of having been repainted, but the essential parts, — head, face and neck, — remain virtually untouched.

An inscription in old Greek is on the band encircling the neck. Translation is difficult, but it seems to commence with: "In the beginning was the Word," etc.

The painting is suggestive of Raphael's work of 1509,

when he had removed to Rome and was engaged on his first great Vatican fresco, "La Disputa del Sacramento." It is well to compare the two Christs, bearing in mind that one is represented as the Man of Sorrows, and the other, Christ on the Throne, Triumphant. Notice the eyes, the hair, the in- scriptions, and particularly the rays of light. The latter are of a kind peculiar to Raphael, and are found in a number of his best authenticated works, notably in the "Deliverance of St. Peter from Prison."

Inscriptions on the neck-bands similar to the one in this painting, will be found in the large Madonna belonging to Earl Cowper, at Panshanger; the Virgin and Child, with St. John;" the Vatican fresco, "Triumph of Religion," and in the "Madonna di Fuligno."

But beyond all this is the appeal made by the painting itself. It is the work of a great master, a painting of the sixteenth century, and the work of an Italian artist. By a process of elimination, it can be imputed only to Raphael, or his pupil and closest imitator, Lo Spagna. The garment sug- gests Lo Spagna, but the more important parts seem beyond his powers of portrayal. It has been suggested that the head and shoulders represent the work of Raphael's own brush, while the remainder was done by a pupil, probably Lo Spagna.

It is interesting to note that the former owner of this painting bears the unusual name of the Dutch painter of the seventeenth century who spent a large portion of his life in Rome, painting views of its ruins and other monuments of art. He made a painting of the interior of St. Peter's, at Rome.

From the collection of C. P. Rademacher, Esq., London, Eng.

COMPOSITION. PRESSWORK AND BINDING BY

,^^1^^